It’s hard to not be a festival rat when you live in Cape Town. We’re often blessed with blissful temperatures in summer and have a melting pot of strong and diverse musical followings in the city. You can safely bet that a festival will be happening somewhere nearly every weekend around this time of year. From small trance gatherings to large-scale EDM productions to outdoor rock shows, there’s a festival for you in Cape Town this summer.

An intimate festival located in the beautiful Wolfkop Nature Reserve in the Citrusdal Valley, this weekend-long party happens just before the beginning of Spring – the perfect precursor to a festival filled summer! Expect live electronic beats by the river, good food, beer and friendly people. Check out Wolfkop Weekender on Facebook.

ALIEN SAFARI: SPRUNG

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Spring hasn’t begun until Sprung happens. This annual trance party is hosted by experienced festival organizers Alien Safari, who always amaze festival-goers with a lovely choice of venue, top selection of international psytrance artists and colourful psychedelic decor. Check out Sprung on Facebook.

ROCKING THE DAISIES

Image: Jonx Pillemer

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, festival in Cape Town. Rocking the Daisies is an annual bonanza that encapsulates the Cape Town festival spirit perfectly. This year, a stellar line-up has been confirmed including The Kooks, The Cat Empire and Milky Chance. And that’s just the main stage! Check out Rocking the Daisies on Facebook.

DECEMBER VORTEX

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My personal favourite trance party that often lasts longer than most, here you can get lost in the Vortex wonderland for over four days in the breathtaking, forested Circle of Dreams venue. Check out Vortex on Facebook.

SYNERGY LIVE

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There has barely been a year when Synergy hasn’t brought down an impressive local act or three to grace the dam-side venue of Synergy Live at Theewaterskloof. It’s a festival with a little something for everybody – from the main stage with headline acts to the recent introduction of the Sirius floor. Check out Synergy Live on Facebook.

REZONANCE NYE

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Possibly the biggest trance party in Cape Town, Rezonance is an annual pilgrimage for thousands of Capetonians to usher in the New Year. Check out Rezonance on Facebook.

ULTRA

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A massive festival complete with some of the biggest names in EDM music. Ultra has a massive worldwide following and the Cape Town leg boasts the complete festival package, albeit not the overnight/camping type. Check out Ultra South Africa on Facebook.

RAMFEST

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This one of the biggest events on the calendar for metal heads, with at least a few international acts gracing the stage on a yearly basis. Electronic music gets some love here too! Check out RamFest on Facebook.

LOVE & LIGHT

Image: Stu Shapiro

Lovers of techno and progressive trance make their way to Love & Light yearly without fail. Although technically not an overnight affair, this festivals pumps into the wee hours at the scenic Mountain Shadows venue outside Paarl. Check out Love & Light on Facebook.

FLAMJANGLED TEA PARTY

Image: Kyle Miljhof

A quirky tea party-themed festival that is one of my favourites. One can get as eccentric as they want while jamming to a variety of beats ranging from Balkan gypsy folk to carney swing. Nobody is judging here. Check out the Flamjangled Tea Party on Facebook.